Actress Park Ye-jin, who has been popular for her candidness on a reality entertainment program, is now playing a totally opposite role in a drama series.

In KBS 2TV's Wed-Thurs series "Hateful but once again" (script Jo Hui, producer Kim Jong-chang), which first aired on Wednesday, Park plays the intellectual and beautiful news anchor Choi Yun-hui. The ambitious Hillary Clinton wannabe is miles apart from her persona in the hit SBS entertainment show "Family Outing."

In the drama's recent presentation event, she clearly drew a distinction between the two: "In 'Family', I show off my jolly side as I mingle with the other cast, but the drama character is completely different. I will work hard to digest the role."

Park is truly enjoying her popularity from her role in "Family" these days, but she actually debuted a decade ago in the 1998 horror flick "Memento Mori."

Park said, "I'm just returning to my original gig, acting, so there's no difficulty juggling both. I have a wide range of emotions in reality so I can handle it."

Park also remarked that "Hateful" was her "Christmas gift," saying, "I first heard about the drama around last Christmas and accepted the role the very next day. I thought of it as a Christmas present and had no doubt or worries about the drama. Doing 'Family,' my desire for acting grew and I wanted to do a heavy and serious role if I had the chance. 'Hateful' was just perfect."

The drama about the love affair of middle aged couples and starring the highly regarded veteran actors Park Sang-won, Choi Myeong-gil and Jeon In-hwa has already topped ratings in the Wed-Thurs time slot.

Park said, "I had complete trust in the senior cast members. I typically have jitters on the first day of a shoot, which this time happened to be a confrontation scene with Choi. My mind went blank."

Older actors take center stage of the storyline, unlike most of the youth-oriented dramas these days. Park says this is exactly "Hateful's" strength.

Park said, "Current dramas are focused on one or two characters but 'Hateful' covers both the young and old love to appeal to a wide spectrum of viewers."